


To Feel So Simple

by ShippingEverything



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Kittens, Other, Zombies Run! Secret Santa, just fluff, minor zrs2 spoilers i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21933427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingEverything/pseuds/ShippingEverything
Summary: “Yes, yes,” Archie waves a hand dismissively, “Not everyone has a castle, but Abel has their military, yes? Can the army not spare a single little litter of piglets?”Five makes a face, one that Archie knows they don’t think she understands, but that she easily interprets asIf we had that, we’d eat it/break it down for resources/something else gruesome and no fun. It’s a very complex face.or: on the relative virtues of Abel, New Canton, chickens, and cats
Relationships: Archie Jensen/Runner Five
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	To Feel So Simple

**Author's Note:**

  * For [siriusmistake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriusmistake/gifts).



> happy zr secret santa fellas!!!! i've never written archie before, for _some_ reason so this was just a ton of fun to do and i really like how it turned out!
> 
> title from _The Thought Of You_ by Logan Smith
> 
> please enjoy!

Abel doesn’t have a chicken petting zoo.

New Canton doesn’t either, not _really_ , not one that the Permanent Advisory Council knows about, but Archie’s found that sneaking into the livestock holding pens does just as well in a pinch. Abel, though, doesn’t even have _chickens_.

“All I am saying is that it is practically a _crime_ to not have farm animals to play with,” Archie tells Five as they do a basic supply run together. Five watches her out of the corner of their eye, amused smile creeping onto their lips. The sight of it makes Archie’s own smile widen. “I _know_ you bonded with Mauve the milk cow when you were in New Canton, I saw you making kissy faces at her.”

“ **I never said I didn’t,** ” Five replies, easily stooping to pick up a sports bra that Archie is _sure_ wasn’t there a second ago. “ **And I’m sure that all of Abel would love to have some livestock around, but it’s not that easy for every settlement.** ”

“Yes, yes,” Archie waves a hand dismissively, “Not everyone has a castle, but Abel has their military, yes? Can the army not spare a single little litter of piglets?”

Five makes a face, one that Archie knows they don’t think she understands, but that she easily interprets as _If we had that, we’d eat it/break it down for resources/something else gruesome and no fun_. It’s a very complex face.

 **“We have... kittens?”** They offer after a while.

“ _Kittens_?” Archie gasps, immediately pressing the button on her headset to call to Nadia as Five tries to pass off the small smile on their face as shrugging nonchalance. “And I am just now hearing of this?”

“Just now hearing about _what_ , Runner 20?”

“Don’t worry,” Archie replies, “I only wanted to ask if I could stay at Abel tonight?”

“What?” Nadia says, and Archie can hear the annoyed squint in her voice, “No, you and Runner Five both are supposed to be coming back to _New Canton_ tonight, your route doesn’t put you anywhere near Abel-”

“Excellent, time for a detour then!” Archie cuts Nadia off, grabbing Five’s hand and changing their direction towards Abel.

“ _Archie_ , you can’t just _do that_!” Nadia says, “This is _not_ a part of the agreement, and I’m going to tell the Council.”

“I’ll tell them it was an improvised Fraternal Alliance bonding activity,” Archie responds smartly, spurred on by the way Five is laughing and easily matching her step for step. “I am doing _important_ _work_ , and you wouldn’t want to stop a runner from doing important work, would you? That wouldn’t be very _productive_ of you.”

While Nadia splutters over the comms, Five reclaims their hand to say, “ **Having a sleepover is hardly ‘important work.’** ”

“Personal relations are _always_ important, silly. You can’t win a war unless you trust your allies, and we could use more trust on all sides when it comes to the Fraternal Alliance.”

“ **I don’t think _you’re_ the person who needs to work on trusting your allies**,” Five signs, face twisting again in an _I still don’t like Nadia_ way. Archie bites the inside of her cheek because, as much as she likes Five and loves Abel, she _also_ loves _her_ settlement and _her_ radio operator and all of New Canton.

Nearing Abel comes with the voice of Sam Yao in their ears. “Hey there, Five, Archie. Not that I’m not glad to see you, but aren’t you both supposed to be in New Canton?”

“Very important intra-settlement bonding,” Archie replies, and Sam snorts.

“Does New Canton know that?”

“New Canton knows what they must,” Archie says archly. “Now, I have heard that you have _kittens_. Can I reserve the kittens or is it a first come first served sort of thing? I’m willing to wait, but I would rather see them as soon as possible. Oh! Could you bring the kittens to the gate, actually? So I can hold a kitten immediately as I enter Abel. That would be the _most_ ideal.”

“The kittens have to stay in the kitten pen,” Sam says, like he’s reciting a line off a card.

“Are you _sure_?”

“Believe me, I’ve tried,” Sam admits, and Five snorts beside Archie. “Sometimes I think Janine keeps more security on the kittens than the Major does on the gate. Uh, don’t tell anyone I said that though.”

Five winks at a camera and mimes zipping their lips, so Archie follows suit. Sam laughs in their ears and they approach Abel to the cobbled-together gate quickly swinging open to allow them entrance.

It’s fun for Archie to watch Five as they journey into Abel. In New Canton, Five doesn’t seem _on edge_ exactly, just a little stiff; personally, Archie’s always thought that, when surrounded by the structure of New Canton, Five reverts back to habits from the military base they lived on after Z-Day. Back in Abel though, it’s easy to see Five relax. It seems like everyone they pass greets Five happily, offers them a high-five or a smile, and Five’s shoulders lower, their gait slows, everything about them yells _home_. Archie wonders if she ever would’ve noticed how uncomfortable they were in New Canton if she wasn’t given this close-up view of what Five looks like when they’re so completely in their element.

“How lucky am I,” Archie says after the twelfth person stops them to ask after Five’s health and their run, “To be escorted by Abel’s most _popular_ runner.”

Five flusters, predictably, and tries to wave Archie off. “ **We don’t have as many runners as you do, it only makes sense that we’re well known**.”

Archie hums, not agreeing but also not willing to fight against Five’s lack of ego. She winks when Five shoots her a skeptical look and laughs at the bright blush that blooms on Five.

“ **The cats are this way** ,” Five says, quickly turning their face away from Archie and gesturing her forward. Archie laughs again but follows happily.

The kitten pen is an enclosure made of chicken-wire and wood, with a cat walkway high on the walls and half a dozen kittens wrestling and playing and meowing. There’s another Abel runner inside already, one that Archie is able to quickly recognize as Runner 3.

“Simon! Hello!”

“If it isn’t my favorite New Canonite!” Simon crows, grinning and holding a tuxedo kitten with unnaturally sharp teeth up to Archie. “Meet my baby.”

“Your baby?”

Five huffs, rolling their eyes. “ **None of the kittens have _official_ names, because Janine didn’t want to name them, but Simon has got everyone calling this one _Simon Pawchlan_.**”

Archie looks between the cat and Simon. She tilts her head. She supposes, if she sort of squints, that they look slightly alike each other. _It’s the smiles_ , she thinks. “Ah, I see the resemblance.”

Simon laughs, “No, he’s named after me because he’s great at escaping the enclosure. Even Janine can’t keep him in here.”

“ **He’s also named after Simon because he’s often escaping to get _to_ Janine**,” Five adds, and Simon shamelessly grins at the revelation. “ **Don’t ask, it’s _absolutely_ not worth knowing**.”

“Truly, you’re a charmer, Five,” Simon says, reaching out to pinch Five’s cheek and deftly dodging the mostly harmless snap of their teeth at his fingers as he does so. “But I do think that’s my cue to leave. Enjoy the kittens, you two.”

Simon hands Simon Pawchlan to Archie as he goes, making a complicatedly indescribable, _We communicate only by facial expressions here in Abel_ face at Five. Five makes one back and Archie politely coos over Pawchlan as the two runners silently fuss at each other. When they’re done, Five sinks to the ground lotus style and clicks their tongue gently, attracting the attention of several kittens. Archie sits beside them, carefully holding Pawchlan close to her chest. She watches, stroking careful, calloused fingers down Pawchlan’s back, as a cat leaps into Five’s lap while another determinedly makes it’s way up Five’s sloped back.

Five stays perfectly still as the kittens explore their new human body playset, stiff but not tense, and Archie thinks, _I am lucky to be allowed to see this, to watch_ the _Runner Five covered in kittens, with their back to the door, still completely at ease_. Five is lucky as well, Archie thinks, to be the type of person that Archie will overtly disobey orders for in order to spend more time with.

Archie leans over and presses a kiss, firm but not demanding, to Five’s cheek. Five startles and causes the kittens to scatter, red sweeping over their skin as they turn to her, shocked. “ **What was that for?** ”

“Nothing,” Archie says, then, because that wasn’t quite true, “Everything. I was thinking that it's nice, being here with you. You are a surprisingly good date, Five.”

Five turns away, but Archie still sees the nervous, pleased smile creeping onto their face. When Archie leans in again, clearly telegraphing her movements to give Five time to back out, Five turns into it, meeting her head-on. It is _wonderful_ , even if Simon Pawchlan rudely interrupts by digging his claws into Archie’s arms as she inadvertently squishes him into Five.

“ **You’re a pretty good date too** ,” Five says, hands steady though they can’t seem to look Archie in the eye. Archie laughs, bubbling over with happiness.

“I am the _best_ date,” She corrects, “And you would do well not to forget it.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so so much for reading, i wish you a Truly happy holidays!
> 
> [Main Tumblr (pldubrahs)](http://www.pldubrahs.tumblr.com) | [Writing Tumblr (nacreousglowclouds)](http://nacreousglowclouds.tumblr.com/) | [Personal Twitter (@squidias)](http://twitter.com/squidias)


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